Spring Has Arrived!

It looks as if the weather has taken a turn for the best. Hopefully this was our last cold spell and spring has arrived. No matter the weather or conditions, many anglers are taking advantage of the great early Spring fishing the Bighorn has to offer.

We are looking great on snow for the year. In fact, we have more than enough water storage, even if we don’t receive any more precip. Currently, Bighorn Lake is sitting at 2′ higher than the same time last year. Let’s hope we don’t have any surprise releases from the Bureau this year. So far, they are planning accordingly, kind of.

Plenty of new bugs arriving this week!

There have been many fishing up devouring midges on the cloudier, calm days. Even a handful of Baetis have been thrown in the mix as well. The water is extremely clear and the fish we have found have been quite spooky. 5x and 6x are the norm and your arsenal of patterns should include Smokejumpers, Twilight Midges and Micro Wulff Cripples. Also have a few Sprout Emergers and Cripple Thors to cover the Baetis.

For the majority of anglers, nymphing remains the most effective method. Concentrating on the slower, deeper runs, as always in the cold water season, will give up fish consistently. We have been digging the new Corqs indicators. Super easy to cast, see, and they are more sensitive than the trapped air technology indicators. Stick to your standard Firebead Sowbugs (pink, grey), Zebra Midges, Cream pupa and Killer Bug patterns and more importantly, change up your weight, or location if you are not getting into fish. Pattern selection is not as important as locating the fish right now.

We are continuing our Winter/Spring Specials through the end of April, so get out here and enjoy our great Spring season!